I have to share something with you that is changing my health for the better. Over the last few weeks, I’ve ditched wheat from my diet. In fact, I’ve ditched wheat, oats and all grains with gluten. I’ve known for a couple of years that gluten is not my friend, but I’ve compromised by having fermented sour dough (desperately hoping that fermentation and organic flour would make it OK). Call me somewhat in denial, stubborn, economical, or all of the above – I’ve just hung onto my toast for as long as I could justify it.

But I can’t deny the fact that it causes me problems. After doing tons of research, asking some of the most amazing minds on the topic, and taking an honest look at my comfort relationship with wheat, I absolutely have to give it up if I want to repair my compromised digestion, and stop my teeth from decaying away (just to name the two biggies for me).

I know that despite my otherwise very healthy diet. I have some absorptions issues and all those amazing nutrients from food are not getting where they’re supposed to. My dentist noted I have no plaque despite the apparent demineralisation of my teeth. So what’s happening to the stack-load of minerals that are entering my body? I’m putting them in there for sure!

Goodbye Wheat

So I did an experiment. I set myself a goal of just trying for a couple of weeks to see what would happen. The changes happened immediately. Things are, shall we say, running the best they have for a long time, and I’m not suffering from stomach upsets after eating that single slice of toast. I lost 2 kilograms in the first 2 weeks (that’s over 4lbs) and changed nothing else.

The English girl in me initially objected very loudly to going without those traditional foods that I grew up on: bread, muffins, cakes, pies (and I wasn’t even eating much of these anyway). Even the healthy versions that I’ve grown to enjoy have to go. A mini-identity crisis ensued, and then… I was fine. Foods sure can have emotional attachment!

A Scientific, Factual, Informative Guide (that you won’t need a PhD to understand)

So enter in this fantastic book that came into my hands in the middle of my grand experiment.

A Faith-Based Perspective

If that wasn’t enough, Weeding Out Wheat has something else that appealed to me. Here’s what author’s Trisha and Luke have to say:

For most people, the question of whether wheat-free eating is “Biblical” has never entered their minds. But for others, this is the question where their faith and their health collide. It certainly was for us.

As Christians, we had a very hard time believing that something so central to the daily life of God’s people throughout the Bible could be so poisonous. Didn’t Jesus ask us to pray for “our daily bread”? Isn’t He the “Bread of Life”? Don’t we partake of the bread of Jesus’ body at church?

This book explains how Christians can grapple with the theological questions raised by the growing dietary concerns with wheat.

This was the part that I enjoyed the most, as it’s content that I haven’t seen discussed anywhere else.

My Recommendation

I’ve read this book through cover to cover in one sitting and wholeheartedly recommend this to you!

Let me assure you, within its 99 pages, ‘Weeding Out Wheat’ is packed full of fantastic information and presents it all with ease. You won’t find yourself intimidated or overloaded with information, but you will be informed, challenged and inspired to consider this change. Not a word is wasted. And a bonus in the e-book is external links to further reading and guidance for getting started on your wheat-free journey.

If you’re interested in purchasing this, please visit Luke and Trisha’s website and you will be able to download instantly. Be one of the first!

The Next Step

I’ll keep you posted as to my progress in the coming weeks, as I’m certain that my health is going to continue to improve. I already have a couple of fun things to tell you… next time. 🙂

{NB. I’ve joined Trisha and Luke’s affiliate program, so if you purchase this via my site, I will earn a little something from the sale. I only recommend the things I trust – and this is the best book I’ve read on this topic. I was also given a free copy but was not obligated to write a positive review}.

I’m always after the best supplements I can find and after years of trying different things, I think I’ve more or less settled on a regimen that suits my particular needs. There are others I’d like to get too, for extra support in some specific areas, but for now they fall below the line. 🙂

I prefer to stay away from standard vitamins that are full of synthetic ingredients that are not well-absorbed, and have other things in them such as soy, corn and various preservatives. From what I understand, synthetic Vitamin C for instance is only 30% absorbed by the body and is derived from corn (ascorbic acid).

There are a number of great brands around these days that use whole food sources and although more expensive at face value, are a much better option than the alternative cheaper varieties that aren’t well absorbed and may well do more harm than good.

I find supplementing my already healthy organic diet is necessary at this stage in my life as food alone is not giving me adequate nutrition for my energy needs. Part of this is due to an existing nutritional deficit that I’ve yet to get on top of, and partly due to my food, even organic food, that no longer contains the level of nutrients sufficient for optimal health. We have a long term plan to develop extensive gardens with soil health that is out of this world, but that is a while away!

In the meantime, here’s what I consider a basic daily regimen (in order of priority):

Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil is brilliant for two reasons: it has high amounts of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and it is high in fat-soluble Vitamins A and D.

Our modern diet already has an over-adundance of Omega-6 fatty acids, and cod liver oil (depending on the brand) will have a better ratio of Omega 3s and 6s.

I have read about the strong benefits of cod liver oil in connection with fertility, teeth health, bone health, cancer prevention, hair and nail heath, brain and nervous system development, and many others. I thoroughly recommend Weston A Price Foundation website for many articles on the benefits and background, including one on Vitamin A toxicity which is a necessary read.

The only brand I use is Green Pastures as, to my knowledge, they are the only fermented cod liver oil available in the world. I prefer to take it in a gel, but there are also capsules for those that can’t stomach the taste.

Recommended doses (according to the Weston A Price Foundation website):

Children over 12 years and adults: 1 teaspoon or 10 capsules, providing 9500 IU vitamin A and 1950 IU vitamin D.

Pregnant and nursing women: 2 teaspoon or 20 capsules, providing 19,000 IU vitamin A and 3900 IU vitamin D. (note: the Vitamin A is not synthetic and therefore not toxic to a developing baby. (See this article for more information).

Multi-Vitamins

Garden of Life has a vast array of raw organic supplements, including their multi-vitamins. The Maker’s Diet was the first book I read almost a decade ago on real food and healing diets, and I have great confidence in Jordan Rubin’s unique product range.

The Vitamin Code Vitamins were developed to provide supplemental nutrition as close as supplementation can get to actual raw, unadulterated and untreated food. They contain no binders or fillers, and they are gluten-and dairy-free with no soy allergens.

I purchase from Health Food Emporium who offer great discounts on the full range of Garden of Life supplements.

If a multi-vitamin isn’t an option for you at present, you might like to consider increasing highly dense nutritious foods into your daily diet, such as chia seeds, goji berries, blueberries, kale, bee pollen, flax seeds, sea vegetables, and cacao.

Vitamin C

As I’ve already said, I’ve come to prefer Vitamins that come from whole, natural sources. Vitamin C is one that I’ve discovered I simply need more of than the recommended daily amount. Supplementing is therefore essential.

For Vitamin C, this is a product that I’ve found to be superior to the synthetic alternatives, called Quantum Vitamin C complex. We also use the Garden of Life Raw Vitamin C.

Camucamu powder is also a good supplement that is rich in natural Vitamin C and can be added to smoothies.

Vitamin C is one that you have to work out what level to take that is specific to you, as we all have different stresses (stress will use up the Vitamin C in your body) and diets that determine our individual daily amount. The way to determine your level is quite simply to take enough to bowel tolerance, and when you reach that point you drop back the amount you are taking.

In times of illness, and for short periods, we have use Lypospheric Vitamin C (which is in a 99% bioavailable form) as an extra boost to bringing back to full health. During sickness, your body will need more Vitamin C than the usual maintenance dose.

Superfood Green Powder

There are two kinds of green powders – those that have been cut, dried and ground into powder. And those that have been cut, cold pressed, and low temperature dried. The juiced powder is much more nutrient dense

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I wanted to pass on this website to you that has just been released as I believe it will be a fantastic resource for those wanting to take control of their own health.

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This is my long overdue post on coming off the GAPS Diet. We haven’t actually been on the GAPS Diet for some months now. Unfortunately we had an onslaught of illness that took out 4 out of 5 members of my family, and it was an enormous burden to manage, let alone having to continue making stocks and doing all the various food prep. The illness lasted months, and the children’s bodies are still continuing to heal even now, 6 months later. Vitamin C was a life saver, quite literally. But we survived it, and one day they will be glad that their immune systems got such a working-out!

How we came off GAPS

The recommendation in Dr Natasha’s book is 1 ½ to 2 years on the Diet, and following it strictly without compromise. When coming off the Diet, she recommends introducing fermented millet, buckwheat and quinoa, and potatoes first. Because of our circumstances, we didn’t manage to do it this way.

The way we came off GAPS was to re-introduce fermented sour dough bread, sweet potatoes, and then white potatoes and other starches such as chick peas. The kids were started with having just one slice of bread per day.

I think perhaps because we weren’t on the GAPS Diet for more than 6 months, we didn’t notice any reaction to coming off the Diet, and in fact I found I had more energy with the introduction of extra carbs that I’d missed through not having grains.

What I Learned

I found that I’ve become much more sensitive to how my body responds to particular foods. I discovered that too much meat makes me feel sluggish and tired, and I craved raw food over all the stews and meat dishes.

I noticed that too many nuts, such as the large amounts of nut flours in many GAPS recipes, adversely affected my digestion, as does coconut flour (too fibrous). Small amounts of coconut flour fare better for me than gluten flour, but really I’m better off without too much of it. Unsoaked nuts I also found much better, so I suspect that it is the phytic acid that is the issue.

I also noticed that taking HCl was a beneficial supplement, and were it not for all the other supplements that leap ahead of the budgetary queue, it would be one I’d continue to take.

One observation I’ve made in myself, and also amongst the various food communities that I’ve engaged with online, is that many that are attempting changes in their diet are still holding onto their old habits as they go into a new way of eating. Changes in diet should not just be about re-arranging the furniture, as such. For instance, if you eat too many sweet things when you are eating the less-than-healthy varieties, coming onto GAPS or any other diet, and indulging in too many sweet things, is not going to improve your health overall to the extent it would if you just follow common sense and get the balance of those healthy foods right. Changes to our diet often involve a complete overhaul of the thinking behind our eating.

That said, I’ve discovered that my tendency was/is to grab whatever I can food-wise to supplement my low energy from lack of sleep and just plain ‘Mummy’ exhaustion. Unfortunately that has meant that although I’m eating healthy food, the balance hasn’t been quite right. Toast and butter is not the answer to my waning energy levels! I really do just need to eat more fresh and raw vegetables, and find creative ways to enjoy these more with the limited organic varieties that our local store has, and with managing my time on a daily basis much better. My children’s leftovers are not adequate to meet my nutritional needs, and I really do need to make the time to prepare fresh raw food for myself.

I felt I was never eating enough alkaline foods due to the increase in meat and dairy and cooked foods, and as a result the acidic load on my body increased. This has affected my teeth, where now I have another problem to sort out. The ‘Cure Tooth Decay’ protocol is currently something I’ve had to turn to. My dentist told me I have acidic saliva, and a ph test confirmed this. This has been a little frustrating to say the least, and although the problems with my teeth have occurred previously, too much acidic food appears to be part of the problem.

Would I do it again?

Admittedly, it wasn’t the cure-all I was hoping for. I was extremely optimistic that it would iron out the issues that GAPS Diet had been known to deal with. It didn’t for us. Perhaps this was largely due to the fact that we weren’t on it for long enough. It might also be that I didn’t have the balance of foods quite right. Some sort of results early on would have been motivating but I didn’t see any noticeable changes in any of us. 🙂

What it did show me is where I do have some dietary changes to make that I hadn’t noticed, in terms of ‘healthy’ foods I’d just downed with no thought that I could be one of those people who shouldn’t have it (eg. coconut flour). It also was a tremendous educational experience in terms of monitoring and managing mine and my children’s reactions to food. I learned that my eldest child is better off without gluten, my middle child is better off with limited starchy foods, and my youngest is better off with limited cheese. I should not eat gluten, but I more or less knew that already. Now I know for certain.

So we won’t be doing GAPS again, but there are many things about it that I feel drawn to. We continue to eat a traditional diet, along with fermented foods and homemade stocks, but for our particular family we have learned that we are much better off eating larger amounts of raw plant-based foods.

I’ve found that with various common illnesses that have come our way (thankfully not too often), there are usually some things I can do that are beneficial for healing, regardless of what the illness is: be it the common cold, stomach bugs or food poisoning, chicken pox, and others.

First things first: I realize that there are other factors involved in managing illness than what I have here. I can only pass on what I have found works for us as a family. You will have to work out what works around your individual factors, such as any medications being taken, food intolerance’s and special diets, what your health professional has recommended, and so forth.

Below are only the things we have done that have been effective. I’m sure there are many others. I hope you find some ideas here to pick and choose from, according to the particular situation you might have, and please feel free to share things that have helped you.

Food and Nutritional Support

Generally, light food that is easily digested is the best way to go (particularly in the beginning), as your child’s body needs to put its efforts into fighting off the illness and not digesting heavy foods. Watch and listen to your child though, as their appetite might come back sooner than you expect and take the opportunity to fill them with plenty of nourishing foods.

And it goes without saying, avoid sugar of all kinds (a little honey should be OK), avoid highly processed foods, and you might want to consider going easier on red meat. I find chicken is a better option for us.

You may also want to consider how you prepare these foods, and try to gently cook meats and vegetables to reduce oxidative stress on the body. (eg. Don’t fry at high temperatures, or cook with olive oil).

Health Boosters

Ginger– calming on stomach and digestion. It can help with nausea, with clearing sinuses, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Have it as a tea, added to a bath to help with achy muscles, finely grated in a rice dish, or a little in your veggie juice or lemon and honey drink.

Turmeric– an anti-oxidant and is anti-inflammatory. Turmeric has been known to assist with a number of ailments including arthritis, poor digestion, gas and bloating, candida, heart health, and many others. Go on, google it and see what you find. 🙂

Garlic– we all know it by now. Garlic has an incredible property called allicin, which is a natural antibiotic and can fight infection and bacteria. Phillip Day has written a superb book on it. Garlic is rich in antioxidants, and is used in heart health, and to boost the immune system. Rather than wait until you or your loved one is sick, take through the winter months as a preventative measure against winter nasties.

Supplements

Echinacea– this is our favourite immune booster and we usually use the one that Kiwi Herbs makes (read about their products with Echinacea here) In the US, Gaia Herbs is a company whose product range I would trust.

Vitamin C is the single most important supplement I would recommend. If taken to bowel tolerance, it will bind itself and neutralise the circulating toxins, and then carry them from the body. Vitamin C is not converted in the body like other Vitamins, but has to be taken in the diet or by supplementing.In times of intense illness, the body will run out of Vitamin C stores and for optimal recovery so you will need to supplement. If your body, or that of your child’s, runs out of Vitamin C, you body will struggle to perform the necessary functions to get fully well. I’ll put a couple of links at the bottom of this post so you can look into this more.We prefer a Vitamin C ‘complete’ product, which has all three ascorbates with bioflavenoids (there are a number of these around). There is also another product called Lypo-sphere (which uses sodium ascorbate) that we’ve used which is excellent. It comes in sachets and is like a gel that you can sneak inside the sides of your child’s mouth from the end of your finger if they won’t take it off a spoon.

Vitamin C is a huge topic that I’ll post more on in future.

ProbioticsSecond to the most important supplement to take, I add in a quality probiotic to my children’s daily regimen. I would prefer them to take this every day, but since money is tight, we rely on natural probiotics when there is no sickness around, including kefir, fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut), and homemade yoghurt (made from raw milk, not the powdered kind from the supermarket shelf).

Burning aromatherapy oils(eg. Eucalyptus for stuffy noses). If using an oil burner isn’t safe in your environment, you can put a few drops on some gauze or tissues and place out of reach of young ones (you could tape to the wall up high). The smell will still fill the room.

Vitamin D– get your daily dose of sunshine.

Water– there’s some great info on this website. Water is often the most over-looked remedy when it comes to preventing illness and assisting with healing. I try and drink 2-3 litres a day when I’m not breastfeeding, and more when I am. Try and drink half of your body weight in ounces.

Emotional and Spiritual

Prayer– pray and lean on the Holy Spirit to provide help and strength. Pray over your children and let them hear words of faith and life over them.

Music– I find that having worship music on constantly helps everyone. It sets an atmosphere in your home of peace.

Baby-wearing – you may like to keep you baby close to you for their comfort, but make sure you watch their temperature.

Speak hope – when the children have had a rough patch where there’s been pain and discomfort, I’ve found speaking words in their ear gently will speak to their soul. ‘It’s going to be OK’, ‘You’re going to be better soon’. ‘We’ll get through this together’. ‘I’m here.’

Love with tenderness and grace, and even if you’re low on sleep, try and extend grace to their sibling squabbles and frustrations as they learn to manage their emotions through their illness. Don’t expect too much, and remember that once it’s all over, you all will have grown through it.

Looking After Yourself

Mum’s needs often go unmet when illness is running its course through the children, but it’s important you remember to tend to your needs.

Consider taking the following (important if you are breastfeeding and your child is sick):

Fermented cod liver oil

Vitamin C with bioflavenoids

Probiotic

If your budget can manage a comprehensive multivitamin, add this in too.

And don’t say no to the offer for a healthy meal dropped off from a friend. 🙂 Every little bit helps.

Helpful Websites

Here are some sites to refer to when working out a plan for managing specific illnesses.

Our approach to health is first and foremost prevention through nutrition and lifestyle. I’ve found that we usually end up with sickness in our household when someone is run-down, tired, teething or when we’ve had a run of not eating so well.

Here are the things from my top shelf cupboard where I keep all my home remedies (along with our First Aid Kit).

Daily

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Multi for Kids – This is the current multi-vitamin that my girls are taking. At some stage when they’re doing better with raw juices and eating a broader range of healthy foods, I’d like to think we can stop taking them altogether.

We have been a bit inconsistent with fish or krill oil as of late, but it’s another good daily supplement to take for children and adults alike. The brands we’ve used are Nordic Naturals Fish Oil and Clinician’s krill oil.

Colds and Sniffles

Vitamin C (with Bioflavenoids) in powdered form. The powder is assimilated into your body faster, without the tableting aids. And always buy one that has the three ascorbates and bioflavenoids – calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, ascorbate acid, rutin, hesperidin and quercetin. We use the Health House one called Complete C.

Verm Xpel – use as a de-wormer in the Spring or as a gentle detox after sickness; contains green walnut, wormwood and clove

KiwiHerbs, Organic NZ De-Stuff for Kids – ear, nose and sinus support. KiwiHerbs has a range of other products I’d like to try at some stage.

Kaloba – Helps soothe throat, nose and sinuses for children (under 1 year old also). This has been clinically proven to be effective and is a natural plant-based product with herbal extracts. Read more about it here.

Digestive

Activated Charcoal Powder –From what I have researched, charcoal is perfectly safe for children and I have used it a couple of times as a precaution when my tot decided to ingest things that she shouldn’t have. It’s been used for many years as a remedy for poisoning, amongst many other things. I have this under ‘digestive’ here, but there are many other uses for it. I’ll blog on it sometime in the future, but in the meantime if you’d like more info, see www.charcoalremedies.com.

Ginger is of course the best remedy for stomach upsets that I know. Have a go at getting ginger tea in your little one by diluting it with extra water and adding a little raw honey. You could also add a very small amount of fresh ginger to a fresh veggie juice – but careful, as it can really overpower the juice (we learned the hard way!).

Skin and Muscles

Aloe Vera Gel – for burns and as a skin soother (eg. after sun care). We’ve also used the plant before when we didn’t have the gel. Simply break off from the plant and smear over the affected area of skin.

Riversdale Manuka Honey – certified UMF 20+, medicinal grade. Thanks to my friend Liz for this amazing gift. We have applied it to infected weeping skin infections, soothing sore throats, burns, relieving coughs, afternoon pick-me-ups, and in herbal teas. I’m sure there are lots of other uses that we’ve yet to discover. If you know of any others, let me know!

Colloidal Silver gel – nature’s antibiotic. Use in the treatment of all skin infections including eczema and warts. We purchased this one from Ephraim Health.

Epsom Salts – These can be used in the bath for soaking and keeping wounds clean.

Witch Hazel–Use this distilled Witch Hazel as a compress for minor burns and sprains, or apply directly to the skin for insect bites and cuts. It can also be used to soothe external haemorrhoids by applying directly with cotton balls or soaking a gauze pad and freezing first. Witch Hazel can also be used by men after shaving.

Pain-Ez– A natural herbal relief with arnica. This one is from the folks at Health House (free freight for NZ and Australia).

Earaches

Weleda ear drops– and we’ve found it actually works. You could also try a few drops of organic olive oil or garlic oil.

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